


Barney Ross

by Skellyagogo



Category: The Expendables (Movies)
Genre: Afraid to love, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Falling In Love, Female reader insert, Friendship/Love, Giving into Love, Hidden Feelings, Idiots in Love, Love, Loving someone so much you don't want them to get hurt, Memories, hidden love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:06:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26250880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skellyagogo/pseuds/Skellyagogo
Summary: Seeing the way she is with the team, the new and the old, it's too hard for Barney to keep ignoring those nagging little feelings anymore.*Written while listening to 'Old Man' by Neil Young.*
Comments: 1
Kudos: 14





	Barney Ross

The whole gang was in Rusty's celebrating with the new crew and welcoming Caesar back from the dead. Y/n was nestled in between them all at the bar. The bridge between the old crew and the new crew, something entirely different. Barney sat surrounded by all of them. Tossing back a shot and thinking about the last couple of months. Glimpsing Y/n out of the corner of his eye wedged between Thorn and Gunner raising another shot to Caesar.

She looked so normal, so unlike the fighter, he'd witnessed take out soldiers days before. So opposite from the woman clad in black that risked her life jumping off a chopper and onto a moving train to rescue Doc. Innocent, pure, and sweet instead of the mad genius in the field.

Barney recalled how fearless she was as she leaped from that moving chopper to get Doc's attention when he wouldn't listen to move. She didn't worry about her safety or how crazy Toll and Christmas had said he was. All she cared about was that he was one of them, an Expendable and someone Barney was risking his life to save. So she risked it all leaping from that chopper to bring him back.

Barney was furious that she'd jumped. Swore his heart leaped straight out of his chest as she wobbled on the landing. Just barely catching herself before falling. Screaming at Doc, promising a knife the likes of which he'd never seen if he would just follow her. She read his file, even though she didn't have to. She read them all. Memorized the names of those that came before her swinging on those dog tags hanging from the ceiling in the plane. She even rescued them all after he crashed the plane into the mine to stop Vilain. Tucked away her cargo pant pocket for safekeeping. 

She'd joined their group after Gunner's betrayal, after Vilena. She was there when Billy joined and there when he died. She stuck by all the men as they hunted down Vilain without wavering. Her loyalty only seemed to grow after that. Y/n was there through thick and thin, weathering each and every storm that came their way. Every shitty job, she was there.

She suffered her fair share of gunshots and stabbings. Gashes and bruises. Car crashes and burns. Fistfights with brass knuckles and grappling matches. Explosions and more. Y/n was never afraid to get down and dirty and covered in blood. She could shoot long-distance better than he'd ever seen before, mostly without the aid of high-tech scopes and lasers. Billy had joked one time saying she could as his father used to say, 'shoot a flea off a dogs ass a mile away with a cheap plastic kiddie scope'.

She wasn't a sniper per se, wasn't a demolition expert, not a bladesmith. No, Y/n was a jack of all trades who could do a bit of everything. She could drive anything she got her hands on. Tank, plane, motorcycle, helicopter, even a submarine they found one mission. It didn't matter, everything she touched was golden. She could MacGyver what wasn't working with whatever she could find. Duct tape, baling wire, shoestrings, she had the Midas Touch.

She'd broken bones, cracked her ribs, punctured a lung, nearly lost a finger, been in a coma for three weeks, and yet each time she came back. Hobbling, limping, holding her side, as long as she could walk, she came back to that damned hangar. Barney half expected her to leave as so many had before when things got too rough, but she only smiled and shook her head asking when they were leaving for the next job. She'd been through hell and back with all of them and did so standing by Barney's side. 

Barney didn't let her go with his new team on the hunt for Stonebanks. Even though she fit the bill, young, intelligent, and highly-skilled, but he wouldn't let her join him. Y/n was kicked to the curb just the rest of them. He had a valid reason, but not one he'd mention out loud. Y/n came along with the others after his new crew was taken. Christmas could tell something was wrong with Barney, he just assumed it was the attempted rescue because Stonebanks used to be one of them. After the Stonebanks incident, he didn't think he was going to come back alive.

Y/n stood side by side with Barney as Stonebanks made his appearance. Was present when Stonebanks shot him. He threatened to shoot her too if Barney didn't drop his weapons. Barney yelled for her to leave, to get to the roof. He'd die if it was his time, but he wasn't about to let her come with him.

On the chopper with the rest of them up on that crumbling rooftop, Y/n bellowing for him to run. Adrenaline surging through her. Barney could barely see Toll struggling to hold her back from jumping out of that chopper. The building crumbling, the smoke filling the air. She let out a bloodcurdling scream. He heard it, dangling from the end of that rope, but he heard it. He hated what it was doing to him. Hated those feelings inside. 

He turned from his seat at the bar, hearing her laughing. Dancing, getting twirled and spun from Smilee to Thorn to Mars. Even Trench spun her around the floor in a dance. Barney watched from the bar getting an earful from Galgo over whether or not he was worthy enough of being a member, but he wasn't fully listening.

Barney's gaze followed her, laughing and smiling with Toll and Caesar. Hugging Toll, the only one to ever get away with it without receiving his 'death glare'. The way she pulled Gunner out on the dance floor to keep him from getting too drunk.

Saw as she kept score between Christmas and Doc, preventing either from cheating as they threw knives at the dartboard. Listened as Y/n thanked Trench and Yang, offering to repay the debt, but both only smiled and shook their heads at her. He knew Trench was offering her a job, a place on his team, but it was her turn to shake her head. What she said he couldn't hear, but Trench nodded and smiled knowing she never would have accepted anyway.

He watched as she mothered over Caesar and lectured him with soft eyes on not drinking too much. How he shouldn't stay out too late and needed rest to recover still. He saw Christmas talked her ear off about Lacy and the way she nodded her head offering advice. Kind eyes, too kind for their line of work.

Partially talking to Smilee and Barney telling him to 'keep drinking' about being in charge of their group just yet. He kept a weathered eye locked on her as Luna linked her arm around Y/n's and pulled her on stage. She was laughing at something Luna whispered in her ear. Arm and arm with the new team, Caesar's fedora she'd stolen on her head.

'Old man look at my life,

Twenty four

and there's so much more

Live alone in a paradise

That makes me think of two

Y/n sang with Smilee, Thorn, Mars, and Luna, looking so unlike she had days before. Gone was the stress and worry, replaced with pure unadulterated bliss. Slightly tipsy and feeling good, but she never looked more beautiful to him then she did up there smiling like she was. 

Love lost, such a cost,

Give me things

that don't get lost.

Like a coin that won't get tossed

Rolling home to you.

Watching her and the way she smiled as Christmas came and stood by his side.

"You look like a proud, demented father," Christmas grumbled holding back a laugh.

"You coulda skipped the 'demented' part," Barney smiled.

Old man take a look at my life

I'm a lot like you

I need someone to love me

the whole day through

Ah, one look in my eyes

and you can tell that's true.

"It was a compliment," Christmas broke out in a laugh, Barney joined in bumping their fists like they always did. "You know as your friend, truthfully, I gotta say," Christmas smirked as Barney glanced his way. "She's your type. You finally gonna tell her?"

Lullabies, look in your eyes,

Run around the same old town.

Doesn't mean that much to me

To mean that much to you.

"Yeah," Barney nodded his head at Chrismas with a smirk. "I think I will." Glancing back up at the stage noticing Y/n staring back at him with a little grin of her own.

I've been first and last

Look at how the time goes past.

But I'm all alone at last.

Rolling home to you.

He knew life didn't last long, that he could go at any time. That somewhere out there, there was a bullet with his name on it. There wasn't a point in keeping it to himself anymore. No reason to keep her at bay anymore. 

Old man take a look at my life

I'm a lot like you

I need someone to love me

the whole day through

Ah, one look in my eyes

and you can tell that's true.

He knew Stonebanks could have killed him, he could have died. He knew that she would have eventually moved on from the loss, from the pain, but she never would have known the truth.

Old man look at my life,

I'm a lot like you were.

Old man look at my life,

I'm a lot like you were.

The noise in the bar had hit its height. The lights seemed brighter, almost blinding but maybe it was just because she was making her way across the room to him. Christmas grinning beside him. A smile that seemed to widened the closer she got. Finally standing in front of them, Christmas offering a beer but she turned it down.

"Hey," she smiled, those tender eyes so focused on his weathered ones.

"Hey yourself," Barney answered drawing out his words.

"Stimulating," Christmas scoffed with a laugh.

"You think we could talk outside?" She asked, kind eyes glinting in the fluorescent lighting.

"Sure," was all Barney replied following her out of the bar. Christmas clapping him on the back as he left.

She stopped just beside his bike, her fingers ran over the paint. A gentle breeze wafting her hair around her face. Part of him was expecting the 'talk', the same speech they all gave when they realized this life was too much. The rehearsed schpeal of apologies and how great the experience had been. Readying himself, he pulled out his cigar ready to light it up.

"What did you..." Y/n didn't let him finish.

Closing the gap between them, her hands on his chest. Fingers curled around his shirt. He didn't see it coming, but he sure felt that kiss. His heart was hammering in his chest. She was eager, moving her lips. Slow and cautious like she was afraid he'd pull away. The cigar dropped from his fingers, his hands drifted. Cradling her cheek, fingers tangling in her hair as he pulled her closer.

The kiss deepened, lips roving, dancing like they were standing at the edge of existence. Like it was the last thing either of them could do as if the world was ending. Her touch was like a drug, an addiction. Intoxicating the way her lips moved against his. Her hand slipped and dipped under his shirt. Feeling that warmth against his skin, making him feel like a teenager again. Like he was doing something forbidden, but he swore he could do this forever. 

She was kissing him with all she had and he was giving it back. All that bent up emotion he'd been swallowing down for ages. Her hips brushing up on his so snugly he couldn't stop the guttural moan that growled from his throat. Pulling away for a breath of air, Y/n smiled bashfully. The color in full bloom around her face. For a moment she looked down at the pavement like she was ashamed.

He reached out lifting her chin, letting her eyes settle on his. Christ how could have missed it all those years. The way that she was looking at him now, the way she always looked at him. Hope and need, hunger and adoration all wrapped up in those bright little eyes peering back at him.

"You dropped somethin'," his voice drawled, hiding a smirk.

"Oh yeah," her eyes darted downward taking the bait. Damned, she made him feel young.

"Yeah, this," Barney went in for the kill kissing her again. Rough and hungry.

Y/n was smiling, grinning into that kiss wrapping her arms around him. They only broke apart when the noise behind them became too loud to ignore anymore. The whole crew standing just outside the door, wolf-whistling, and applauding.

"Finally!" Caesar yelled, doing a little dance with his crutches.

"You smooth black-hearted bastard," Christmas grinned clapping at his friend.

"Shut up you idiots," Barney chuckled pulling Y/n into his side draping his arm around her shoulders. The night was still young, who knew where it was going to end up


End file.
